Means for recovering submarine boats.



No. 856,096. PATENTE) JUNE 4, 1907. B. oswALn.

MEANS POR RECOVERING SUBMARINE BOATS. APPLIOAAION FILED MAY 1a, 190e.

n 145V M f6@ l A TTU/YNE YS boat. l 'und and coiled a out it a strong light line of EUGENE OSWALD, OF UNITED STATES NAVY.

MEANS Fon nEoovERlNe-V-SUBMARINE BoATs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1907.;`

Application filed may 18,1906. serial No. 317,478.v

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, `EUGENE OsWALD, of the United States Navy, a citizen of the United States, and a` resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Means for Recovering Submarine Boats, of which the following is a full, clear, 'and'eiract description.

This invention is an improved means for the'reccvery of lost submarine boats, designed to place the location of the submarine with certainty in both day and'night, permitting communication with those imprisoned therein and obtaining a hawser attached to the boat without the use of divers.

When a submarine boat is sent below the surface, she is generally, when in practice, accompanied by some tender; and as a rule arrangements are made'with the attending vessel to follow her up while running entirely submerged. This-is made possible by the course'to be steered and t e speedfto be made lknown by the tender while so running, but at the same time the location of the boat while below is only'a matter of conjecture, as it is impossible to be sure of her position with certainty, at any time. Should the submarine boat during her submer ed run, meet with an accident, there would be nothing to indicate the place at which it happened, and it would be necessary to employ divers to ascertain this, consumin much valuable time before assistance coul be rendered.

The object of this invention is to overcome these disadvantages by a simple device which can be installed on boats already built or now building, at a small cost.

To this end one embdiment of my invention consists of a buoy seated over a receptacle in the boat and held thereon by means operable to releaseit from the interior of the 'lhis buo has attached at its lower sullicicnt length to reach the'surface of any ordinary depth of water. The free end of the line is connected with a wire'cable resting in brackets attached to the outside of the submarine, which in turn is connected to a chain bridle of suliicient strength, as is also the cable, to pull the boat out of the mud and raise it above the surface of the water.

The buoy carries an electric light, rendering it visible at n'i ht, and Contact screws-for a telephone, Whic 1 are wired to the interior of the submarine, where it is connected with any suitable, electric generator and a tele phone. f

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in Whlch similar characters of reference indicate correspondingtparts in all the figures.

Figure 1 re resents the submarine boat at the bottomo a body of water with my improvements attached, showing the position of the rbuoy after it has been released Fig.12 is a longitudinal, central, vertical section of the buoy; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, longitudinal section through the shell of the submarine, disclosing howmygimprovements are lattached, and Fig, 4 is a plan view of the uo V The numeral 1 indicates a submarine boat of the usual construction, having bands 2 and 2*i respectively fore and aft riveted about it, which carry any suitable attaching means, as for example, ring bolts 8 and 8a. Attached to the ring bolts 3 and 3a is a chain bridle 4, Whichin turn is connected at its center to a wire calile 5 spirally wrapped about the deck of the boat and held in brackets 6 having notched faces for holding the .cable against accidental displacement but admitting of its ready release when pulled vertically upward. These brackets 6 are riveted or otherwise secured to the boat radially of the conning tower and spaced at substantially equal distances apart. In practice lit is also referable to store the chain bridle in brac ets or fix it in such a manner that dan er of it punclin a hole in the boatdue to tiel rolling of the latter, will be eliminated. Near the conning tower a receptacle 7 is provided in the boat, shaped as a frustumof a cone with a projecting seat 8 around its up- Eer edge. In this seat is fixed a rubber gaset 9 adapted to form a water-tight joint over the receptacle when abuoy 10 is seated over it, The buoy 10 'is preferably made up of two cones riveted together, with a flange 11 rojecting over their meeting edges, to 'the under face of which a gasket 12 is secured to contact with the gasket 9.

The bottom ofthevbuoy has a block 13 in its apex, in which a threaded recess ais formed for en aging a screw 14 operable from the interlor of the boat. This screw passes through the center of the receptacle 7 IOO and is provided with a bracket 15 to guide it and a stulling box 16 to insure a water-tight fit about the screw.

Around the screw 7 and concentric with it projects a pot 17 flared at its outer-end to receive the socket of the buoy and prevent a small, strong line 18 coiled about in the receptacle 7 from coming in contact with it. This line as clearly shown in Fig. 3, is attached to the free end ofthe cable 5 and passes down an aperture in the gaskets and flange of the buoy, and after being coiled about in the receptacle 7 is tied in a ring at the socket end of the buoy.

At the top of the buoy a lamp globe 19, surrounded by a steel cage which protects it, is fixed. Wires 22 passing to the globe and to telephone contact screws 23 near the globe, run through the buoy passing outwardly through a ring at its socket end and then upwardly through an aperture in the gasket and flange where they are coiled into a cup or recess 24 with the free ends thereof passing t0 the dynamo in the submarine and to a telephone.

When accident happens to the submarine, the buoy is released by turning the screw 14 to disengage it from its seat, permitting the water to rush in the receptacle 7 and the buoyant force thereof to raise the buoy rap idly to the surface, carrying with it the lin-e 18 and electric wire 22. The buoy is of such color that it can be easily detected in the day time as well as by night owing to the illumination of the electric light, thus enabling the location of the submarine to be determined with certainty.

Then the buoy is picked up by the tender or other craft, the men in the submarine can be communicated with by attaching a small, portable telephone with the' contact screws 23. By hauling on the line 18 the wire cable 5 is released from the notches in the brackets 6 and readily brought to the surface; and as it is customary to send an attending vessel with the submarine while on practice, which as a rule is fitted with a derrick, the boat, in case of accident, could easily be recovered without loss of time or life. n

Should the submarine be with a fleet, the powerful cranes for lifting steam launches would be of great service in order to bring her to the surface.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent;

1. In combination with a submarine boat,

bands `having ring bolts at each end thereof, a chain bridle connecting the ring bolts, a cable connecting the bridle at its center, notched brackets spaced about and secured to the deck of the boat, said cable being adapted to be loosely engaged in the notches of said brackets, a receptacle in the boat, a buoy seated over? the receptacle, a line connecting the buoy and cable adapted to be coiled in the receptacle, a screw passing through the receptacle and engaged4 in the buoy for releasing it from its seat, telephone connections and an electric light carried by the buoy, and wires connecting them carried 'in a recess in the boat and passing therein.

2. In combination with a submarine boat, a buoy adapted to be released therefrom, a line connected to the buoy, a cable connected to the line, a bridle connecting the cable with the submarine., and means onthe submarine for carrying the line and cable.

3. In combination with a submarine boat, a buoy adapted to be released therefrom to rise to the surface of the water, an electric light and telephone connections carried by the buoy, Wiring for connecting the light and telephone connections to the interior of the submarine, a line connected to the buoy, a cable connected to the line, :means connecting the cable to the submarine, and means for holding the cable in coiled relation to the deck of the submarine, for the purpose described.

4. In combination with a submarine boat, a receptacle therein, a buoy seated over the receptacle, means operable from the interior of the submarine for releasing the buoy from the seat, a line connecting the bu oy adapted to be stowed in the receptacle, and brackets spaced aboutlthe connin tower of the submarine having notches terein, and a cable connecting the line with the. submarine and coiled about in' the notches of vthe brackets, for the purpose described.

5. In combination with a submarine boat, a bridle attached thereto, a buoy seated on the boat and adapted to be released there# frorn, and means connecting the buoy and bridle together.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses EUGENE OSWALD Witnesses:

G. E. Inman/1s,- Lowiiar D. FINLEY.

IOO 

